"Jacobs Apologists and minions who kept feeding his pockets through 2004 and 2005 in that quite vault named the Fleetcenter or whatever corporate flavor of the day he'd put it up for bids for back then."

I wonder if Kraft got mad when Patriot fans started looking for ways to beat the $40 per car fee it cost to see a football game ? I wonder if Kraft lobbied the township of Foxboro to shut down the neighboorhood parking lots ?

In the 37 years previous to the 2011 Boston Bruins Cup, four teams had won the Cup 20 times all together (Montreal 7, NYI 4, Edmonton 5, and Detriot 4). If you add two more (Pittsburgh 3 and NJD 3) then the total is 26. With the addition two more teams (Colorado 2 and Philly 2) then the Cup has been won by a total of 30 times by 9 teams. The Boston Bruins have been in the Stanley Cup finals 5 times in those years. Given the fact most of those times the league consisted of less than 30 teams, the Boston Bruins did not do poorly until the 1990s. One is correct in saying Jacobs did not spend in the 90s, no one will argue with you here. Yet, since the 2004 lock out Jacobs has been spending to the cap. That is fact. Then if you consider no one team has has had consecutive Stanley Cup victories (7 different teams) since 2005 then the Bs management has been due diligent in building the team that has a legitmate chance to win once again. JJ is not a bad owner.Warren Buffet or Joshua Bekenstein (Bain Capital) would not have done different.

Ok I am not a JJ fan. But if you criticize then make sure you understand the question being asked! JJ is a capitalist. NAS is correct to point out your limited views.

In response to BassFishingII's comment:

In response to Not-A-Shot's comment:

In response to BassFishingII's comment:

God bless Bob Kraft for lighting a fire under this town's asz when he bought the Pats. THAT, right there, is how you put your money where your mouth, make money, invest in your product and reap the rewards. I am not convinced if Kraft doesn't raise the bar in this town, that Jacobs doesn't feel the pressure to compete.

All Jacobs cared about was using a slam dunk moneymaker to add his Delware North portfolio. There is no need in you spinning this, it's what he did. No matter how many times he goes on WEEI to try to explain his side of things every June when he coasts in from crappy Buffalo, it won't change the facts.

Sinden was nothing but a pawn and a guy who wanted to collect a check and keep his job into his 60s.

Bob Kraft? The same Bob Kraft who held the town and the state hostage and almost moved to Connecticut? The same Bob Kraft who charges $70 for parking?

Yeah, he's a dreamboat.

Did you not just say Jacobs is a businessman? The Pats have built a dynasty, he used his own money to build his stadium and everything. That's holding "the town" hostage? How is using your leverage and negotiating holding a town hostage?

He was never leaving Boston or NE, he was dotting Is and crossing Ts. Meanwhile, Jacobs was destroying the Garden and selling the name off to the highest bidder leading a lockout in 1994.

Jacobs and Bill Wirtz were widely known as the two worst owners in the NHL for 30 years. There are no two ways around it.

Did you not just say Jacobs is a businessman? The Pats have built a dynasty, he used his own money to build his stadium and everything. That's holding "the town" hostage? How is using your leverage and negotiating holding a town hostage?

He was never leaving Boston or NE, he was dotting Is and crossing Ts. Meanwhile, Jacobs was destroying the Garden and selling the name off to the highest bidder leading a lockout in 1994.

Jacobs and Bill Wirtz were widely known as the two worst owners in the NHL for 30 years. There are no two ways around it.

He used his own money to buid the stadium and $70,000,000 of state money for the infrastructure.

Didn't want to, definitely would avoid eating and drinking in there, and yes, someone had to take the free tickets. Yes.

Also, I admit Jacobs is an absolute crook and you don't. That's the difference.

It doesn't matter now. He got what he wanted. He gets the exact budgets within the life of the CBA he knows he can handle, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't watched by the fans either.

That's the point here. He's always overseeing everything. Make no mistake.

Okay, so you bust on us for lining Jacobs' pockets when you have done the same thing.

You bust on Jacobs' for being a businessman.

If he were so detrimental to the team's terrible playoff record in the 80's (let's ignore their regular season record with division finishes of 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd), how much credit do you give to him for the Cup victory in 2011?

The point is, Jacobs let Orr walk for nothing when it would have made more sense to at least keep him on the team and maybe reduce his minutes. They were too cheap AND he got nothing because they refused to trade him a year earlier.

They offered him a huge stake in team ownership. That's cheap? WTH is wrong with you?

If you believe that. I don't believe anything Jacobs said from 1975 through 2005.

You probably should believe it. Searching For Bobby Orr by Stephen Brunt has been called the definitive book on the man so far - until Orr ever writes his own memoirs. The 18.6 per cent reference is in the book.

If it were false I doubt the renowned and respected Brunt would've included it perhaps risking legal action. The offer is mentioned in the 13th paragraph.

I think that's BEYOND a very fair deal. 70,000 for an investment by the taxpayer for the revenue that whole thing now generates?

Are you kidding me? That's chump change and arguably the greatest ROI of any taxpaying investment for any stadium in the history of sports!

Yeah, I think every stadium needs a corporate name/commitment in this day and age. How many times has Jacobs changed the name at the Garden?

5 times?

Not seventy thousand, you dope. Seventy MILLION.

Jacobs hasn't changed the name once. Shawmut was bought out by Fleet, so it became the FleetCenter. Fleet merged with BankBoston and was then bought out by Bank of America. BOA decided not to renew the naming contract.

How is that Jacobs' fault?

Remember CMGI Field? That right! It was the original name of Gillette. Obviously that's a black mark on Kraft, right?

Didn't want to, definitely would avoid eating and drinking in there, and yes, someone had to take the free tickets. Yes.

Also, I admit Jacobs is an absolute crook and you don't. That's the difference.

It doesn't matter now. He got what he wanted. He gets the exact budgets within the life of the CBA he knows he can handle, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't watched by the fans either.

That's the point here. He's always overseeing everything. Make no mistake.

Okay, so you bust on us for lining Jacobs' pockets when you have done the same thing.

You bust on Jacobs' for being a businessman.

If he were so detrimental to the team's terrible playoff record in the 80's (let's ignore their regular season record with division finishes of 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd), how much credit do you give to him for the Cup victory in 2011?

Little to zero except his hiring of Neely really brought a lot of accountability to the front office, as did leaning on the intelligent Don Sweeney in the sort of the development area of the younger players.

Two more cues, Jacobs took from the Krafts. What that francise needed was to look itself in the face and stop making excuses. He finally did that.

Why should Jacobs get any credit? Chia has worked out as has Claude, but that has very little to do with Jacobs.

It's not like he invented the wheel here.

Please explain that brillant remark. That is sort of like saying Kennedy had no connection to landing a man on the moon! Yikes.

"Jacobs Apologists and minions who kept feeding his pockets through 2004 and 2005 in that quite vault named the Fleetcenter or whatever corporate flavor of the day he'd put it up for bids for back then."

I wonder if Kraft got mad when Patriot fans started looking for ways to beat the $40 per car fee it cost to see a football game ? I wonder if Kraft lobbied the township of Foxboro to shut down the neighboorhood parking lots ?

Nah not Saint Bob !

But, please don't denegrate what Kraft did to pull that franchise up like that to try to make Jacobs appear as good or better or whatever you're trying to do.

All billionaires sell naming rights to their stadiums, all billionaires stepped on people to get to where they are at, all billionaires sports team owners make money on parking and consessions. All of them.

It's just that Kraft is more of a likeable guy becuase he has a better personality.

The truth on the Bobby Orr ownership matter is that Eagleson lied to Bobby. The ownership kept approaching Orr almost to the point of begging Bobby to please listen. Sanderson tried to step in, Sinden tried to speak to Orr but Bobby was blindly loyal to a corrupt bad lawyer. That is the truth and nothing but.

Evern a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Shero was Boston's 1st choice (funny how they got Iginla, oh my, this is too easy) and Chia is the one who hired Claude, not Jacobs. So, second choice Chia hired Claude.